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[[File:New London Lighthouse.JPG|thumb|right|upright=1.2|The New London Harbor Lighthouse, completed by Woodward in 1801, remains an active navigational aid.]]Abisha Woodward (1752-1809), also known as Abashai Woodward<ref name="founders">{{cite web|title=To Thomas Jefferson from Albert Gallatin, 15 August 1801|url=http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-35-02-0069|website=Founders Online|publisher=United States National Archives and Records Administration|accessdate=13 April 2016}}</ref><ref name="meech1911">{{cite book|last1=Meech|first1=Susan Spicer|last2=Meech|first2=Susan Billings|title=History of the Descendants of Peter Spicer, A Landholder in New London, Connecticut, As Early As 1666, And Others of the Name|date=1911|publisher=Stanhope Press|location=Boston, MA|page=99|url=https://archive.org/stream/historyofdescend00meec#page/n9/mode/2up|accessdate=13 April 2016}}</ref>, was an architect and contractor from [[New London, Connecticut]] that is best known for building lighthouses in the United States. He oversaw the construction of many of [[Connecticut]]'s earliest lighthouses, but also worked in New York and North Carolina during his career. The oldest surviving beacon built by Woodward is the [[New London Harbor Lighthouse]], which he completed in 1801.

== Career ==

Woodward distinguished himself in New London as a fine architect and contractor. Prior to building lighthouses, he was co-named in a contract for building New London's new meetinghouse in 1788<ref name="blake1900">{{cite book|last1=Blake|first1=Silas Leroy|title=The later history of the First Church of Christ, New London, Conn|date=1900|publisher=Day Publishing Company|page=216|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gQwWAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA216&lpg=PA216&dq=abishai+woodward+new+london&source=bl&ots=2egu1RcEhG&sig=AWDE09hOsYdAXlNQ0oyHbToJ6U0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwih6-zFhYzMAhVBMz4KHetVC5gQ6AEITDAK#v=onepage&q=abishai%20woodward%20new%20london&f=false|accessdate=13 April 2016}}</ref>. Home construction in town likely kept him busy around 1790, a time during which New London was experiencing significant growth<ref name="theday1904">{{cite news|last1=Wall|first1=R. B.|title=Sites and Buildings of Old Main Street: Seventh Instalment [sic]|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1915&dat=19041208&id=AEFHAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fPgMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6001,3563652&hl=en|accessdate=13 April 2016|work=The Day|date=December 8, 1904}}</ref>.

Woodward's work on lighthouses began with a federal contract he won in 1793 to complete the [[Bald Head Light]] at [[Cape Fear, North Carolina]]<ref name="lhf-baldhead">{{cite web|title=Bald Head, NC|url=http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=349|website=LighthouseFriends.com|accessdate=13 April 2016}}</ref>, which was already partially constructed prior to his arrival.<ref name="oct">{{cite web | url=http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/types/octagonals.html | title=Early Federal Octagonals, 1792-1817 | publisher=The Lighthouse Directory | accessdate=3 April 2014}}</ref> He later submitted a bid in 1796 to build the [[Montauk Point Lighthouse]], but lost the contract to [[John McComb]]<ref name=oct />. After the turn of the century, Woodward secured contracts to oversee the construction of five lighthouses along the Connecticut coast and one in New York on the east end of [[Long Island, New York|Long Island]]<ref name="lhf-littlegull">{{cite web|title=Little Gull Island, NY|url=http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=742|website=LighthouseFriends.com|accessdate=13 April 2016}}</ref>.

Woodward constructed both wooden and stone lighthouses during his career. The last and longest-lived of his wooden lighthouses was replaced in 1841 after 36 years of service<ref name="woyce2015">{{cite book|last1=Woyce|first1=Kevin|title=Lighthouses: Connecticut & Block Island|date=2015|isbn=9781312949829|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4vrUBgAAQBAJ&pg=PT16&dq=%22abisha+woodward%22+lighthouse&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiM49PWsYrMAhWEph4KHWW2CJUQ6AEIKDAC#v=onepage&q=%22abisha%20woodward%22&f=false|accessdate=13 April 2016}}</ref>. Two of Woodward's stone lighthouses, the New London Harbor Lighthouse completed in 1801<ref name="tamulevich2015">{{cite news|last1=Tamulevich|first1=Susan|title=A Guiding Beacon: New London’s ‘Pequot’ Lighthouse|url=http://www.nlmaritimesociety.org/AAW-2015-07-10_38.pdf|accessdate=13 April 2016|work=Antiques and The Arts Weekly|date=July 10, 2015}}</ref> and the Faulkner's Island Lighthouse completed 1802<ref name="dentremont-2014">{{cite book|last1=D'Entremont|first1=Jeremy|title=The Lighthouse Handbook: New England|date=2014|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=9781604334012|edition=2nd|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XREuAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT67&lpg=PT67&dq=%22abisha+woodward%22+ligthhouse&source=bl&ots=LLUqtgUgNd&sig=E1XGQWpFIgT4EODzk9URouq9UAA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwim94WWsorMAhXIn4MKHc7sCdkQ6AEIRjAH#v=onepage&q=%22abisha%20woodward%22%20ligthhouse&f=false|accessdate=13 April 2016}}</ref>, remain standing to this day and still serve as active aids to navigation.

== Personal life ==

Abisha Woodward was born in 1752 and married Mary Spicer on March 20, 1774. He lived in New London, Connecticut where he was a prominent architect, contractor and alderman<ref name="beers1894">{{cite book|title=Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Huron and Lorain, Ohio: Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, and of Many of the Early Settled Families|date=1894|publisher=J. H. Beers & Company|location=Chicago|page=64|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XdoyAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA64&lpg=PA64&dq=abishai+woodward+mary+spicer&source=bl&ots=ytPFLqWEdg&sig=nqyb4Ik0P9gUkvtZYWP4hUG4H7w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiP2rX2gozMAhWFVD4KHU-bDJoQ6AEIOjAI#v=snippet&q=abishai%20woodward&f=false|accessdate=13 April 2016}}</ref><ref name="meech1911" />. Several of his children were born in [[Preston, Connecticut]], suggesting that he probably lived there for some time, as well. Woodward owned extensive property in the southern states and bought some 4,000 acres<ref name="hz1882">{{cite book|title=History of Sandusky County, Ohio: With Portraits and Biographies of Prominent Citizens and Pioneers|date=1882|publisher=H.Z. Williams & Brothers|location=Cleveland, Ohio|page=701|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ayBEAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA701&lpg=PA701&dq=abishai+woodward+new+london&source=bl&ots=ynfxX-rtwT&sig=UyrqoejiVfrapvpf08uvBmKNue0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwih6-zFhYzMAhVBMz4KHetVC5gQ6AEIUTAM#v=onepage&q=abishai%20woodward%20new%20london&f=false|accessdate=13 April 2016}}</ref> of land in the north of Ohio, known at that time as the [[Firelands]], to benefit the widows and orphans of [[Revolutionary War]] soldiers. He died on April 10, 1809 in New London.<ref name="meech1911" />

== List of lighthouses constructed ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Lighthouse !! Location !! Date of completion !! Materials !! Extant?
|-
| Bald Head Lighthouse<ref name="lhf-baldhead" /> || Smith Township, North Carolina || 1794 || || No, replaced in 1817
|-
| New London Harbor Lighthouse<ref name="tamulevich2015" /> || New London, Connecticut || 1801 || granite, brownstone, brick || Yes
|-
| Lynde Point Lighthouse<ref name="griswold2012">{{cite book|last1=Griswold|first1=Wick|title=A History of the Connecticut River|date=2012|publisher=The History Press|isbn=9781609494056|pages=96-97|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5QkbVb6pkeEC&pg=PA96&dq=%22abisha+woodward%22+lighthouse&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiM49PWsYrMAhWEph4KHWW2CJUQ6AEINzAF#v=onepage&q=%22abisha%20woodward%22%20lighthouse&f=false|accessdate=13 April 2016}}</ref> || Old Saybrook, Connecticut || 1802 || wood || No, replaced in 1838
|-
| Faulkner's Island Lighthouse<ref name="dentremont-2014" /> || Guilford, Connecticut || 1802 || brownstone || Yes
|-
| Five Mile Point Lighthouse<ref name="woyce2015" /> || New Haven, Connecticut || 1805 || wood || No, replaced in 1841
|-
| Little Gull Island Lighthouse<ref name="lhf-littlegull" /> || Southold, New York || 1805 || stone || No, replaced in 1869
|-
| Black Rock Harbor Lighthouse<ref name="dentremont-2005">{{cite book|last1=D'Entremont|first1=Jeremy|title=The Lighthouses of Connecticut|date=2005|publisher=Commonwealth Editions|location=Beverly, Massachusetts|isbn=9781889833705|page=49|accessdate=13 April 2016}}</ref> || Bridgeport, Connecticut || 1808 || wood || No, replaced in 1823
|-
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

Abisha Woodward - Revision history

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67.189.141.17: Created page from my Wikipedia work.